Nothing Fancy
by AstroPhantom
Summary: A night of video games turns into a midnight adventure. For Christmas Truce 2017


**Nothing Fancy - Christmas Truce 2017**

* * *

Tucker was thrilled that it was finally Friday night.

After one of the most grueling weeks ever at school, coupled with ghost patrol every night, he'd circled Friday all for himself. He had the house to himself for the weekend, his friends were busy, and he had not one, but _two_ new video games waiting by the TV. This was going to be good.

Or so he thought until his phone buzzed next to him on the couch. New text message.

" _Ding-dong!_ "

Tucker didn't recognize the contact number, and was even more confused by the message itself until the doorbell echoed the text. Curiously, he got up and wandered from the living room to the front door.

"Dani?" he asked after opening it.

The younger halfa stood out on the porch nonchalantly, her hands stuffed in the pockets of her hoodie. "Hey, Tucker!"

He opened the door wider, letting light from the house spill out onto her. He looked down at his phone then back up at her and asked, "Did you just text me?"

Dani gave him a dorky smile. "Ding-dong!" she confirmed, then shrugged. "Got a new phone."

Making a mental note to add her new number to her contact later, Tucker nodded. Dani had gotten quite a few life upgrades ever since the Fentons adopted her a month ago. He was glad to see that tech was included in the deal. "Awesome, man!" He leaned against the doorframe. "Anyway, not that I'm not happy to see you, but what are you doing here?"

Another shrug. "Eh, Danny and Sam are having a 'date night'-" She added extra emphasis with air quotes. "-at our place. Took over the entire living room. And I didn't want to be a third wheel, so...I came to see if you wanted to hang out?" She looked up at him hopefully.

Without a second thought, Tucker answered, "Sure!" His solo game night could wait, as much as he wanted to play. He knew all too well the feeling of being third wheel to Sam and Danny, date night or not, and he wouldn't let Dani fall victim to _that_. He stepped aside to let her in, sweeping his arm in a grand gesture. "Enter if you dare."

Dani slugged him on the shoulder with a laugh as she walked in. "Thanks!" After taking off her shoes at the door, she asked, "So...what were you doing before?"

"Just was gonna play some games. Nothing fancy." He nodded towards the living room TV. Granted it would've been fancy to him, being a new game and all, but as far as his free nights went it'd been shaping up to be pretty typical.

She walked around the couch and picked up one of the game cases laying on the coffee table before squealing. "Oooh! You got the new _Mario Kart_?!" She reached down for the other case then glanced at him. "Can I play?"

Tucker seemed surprised. He didn't peg Dani as the gamer-type, but then again he hadn't with Sam either, and he learned his lesson the hard way there. And at least this way, he'd still get to play tonight. _Mario Kart_ _was_ better multiplayer, after all.

"You're on!" He smirked, then set up the game as Dani got comfortable on the couch.

The two dueled it out with their digital personas for a couple of hours. They lost track of who had the most wins, but neither refused to admit defeat. At some point, Dani stretched her arms out and leaned back into the couch.

"Dude, I'm hungry," she stated.

"Same." Tucker had barely spared a thought to anything else while playing, but now he noticed the hunger kicking in.

Dani looked over at him. "I think Nasty Burger's still open."

He nodded. "It is, but I don't really wanna go out." He looked at the clock on the shelf next to the TV. It was already 11:17.

"Aw, come on. We can get it to-go. It'll be a fun adventure!" She sat back up, a renewed pep in her eyes.

There was a moment's hesitation, then a sigh and, "Fine. But you're buying."

"Nuh-uh." Dani held up her remote. "We'll play for that. One more race, loser buys."

"Ugh, you and Danny, I swear..." Tucker grumbled, side-eyeing the female carbon-copy of his best friend.

Within a few minutes, Tucker wound up victorious. He pumped his fists in the air, snickering as Dani yelled at the TV. Her attempt to sabotage him with a blue shell had failed.

"You suck!" Dani joked.

He just stood up triumphantly and threw his controller to the side. "Let me just grab my jacket and keys, and then we'll go so you can pay up."

A pillow met the back of his head as he started up the stairs.

* * *

"Since when did you get your license?" Dani was watching Tucker climb into his car, unsure whether she should actually get in herself.

"Since like...four months ago. I just don't drive too much since pretty much everything's close by." He hesitated, then glanced at her. "What? You afraid?"

Dani glared at him, sticking her tongue out. "Only if your real driving is as crazy as it is in _Mario Kart_."

Tucker rolled his eyes. "As long as you don't throw another blue shell, I think we'll be okay," he teased, which earned a scoff. "Hop in!"

Dani got in, mentally preparing to phase out of the car at a moment's notice should his driving get hairy. But the thought of food soon took over as they rolled down the street. She rolled down her window and stuck out her hand, letting the cool night air whip by it.

They took their time getting to Nasty Burger, since they weren't in any real rush. Tucker had some music playing low on the car's speakers, and Dani would point out weird signs every so often. Only Amity Park would have cheerful billboards about ghosts on every block.

When they finally got to the restaurant, there were just a couple other cars in the parking lot. Nothing fancy, just another late night for the employees as people stopped by for a quick bite. But Dani and Tucker carried in a lively good mood that even made the cashier break into a smile.

Tucker ordered first.

"I'll get two double-doubles, fries, and a large Coke." He looked to his right and held out his hand. "Danielle?"

Dani elbowed him as she stepped forward, laughing when he groaned. "I'll have the same, but with a chocolate shake instead."

The cashier rang up their total, then looked up expectantly as she told them the price.

Dani begrudgingly started to pull her wallet out, but Tucker stopped her with a hand on her arm. "Just put it on Daniel Fenton's tab. He'll be here tomorrow," he explained.

The cashier shrugged and took note of the payment in the system, then went back to the kitchen to help with the order.

"Not that I have a problem with making Danny pay, but why?" Dani questioned. "I lost the game."

Tucker shrugged innocently as they walked over to a table to wait for their food. "Eh, you guys have the same name. Technicalities." He winked at her. Plus, he saw it as a sort of payback for Danny making Dani feel like a third wheel, but he wouldn't tell her that. He had her back.

After they got their food, they walked back out to Tucker's car. Dani drank happily from her milkshake, leaping from one parking block to the next with just the slightest help of her flying ability to make each jump last. There was something about the cold air that was making her extra happy.

"Maaaan, I _love_ midnight food trips!" she exclaimed loudly.

Tucker smiled. So did he, and he was glad she made him go out. "They're the best!" he agreed.

When they got back in the car, he settled in for a moment, snagging a couple of fries from his bag as he considered what was next. "So hey. I'm guessing Danny and Sam are still having their date night. Wanna just spend the night at my place? We can play more games and watch some movies?"

"I'm down!" Dani nodded. "Can we just stop by Fenton Works so I can sneak in and grab some stuff?"

"Can do!"

Tucker made quick work of the drive to Fenton Works, parking by the house next door so as to not accidentally interrupt his friends. He kept the car on to keep their food warm while Dani snuck around the side of the building, flew up, and phased into her room. It was a couple of minutes before she came back down with an overnight back slung over her shoulder. Instead of getting back in the car though, she hovered near the driver's window, which Tucker rolled down.

"What's up?"

Dani's eyes were deviously green. "Danny and Sam are still downstairs, doing their cute-gross cuddly thing," she explained, before reaching into her bag and pulling out two dart guns. "I wanna prank 'em."

Even though her smile was scaring him right then, and he didn't even know what the plan was, Tucker couldn't help but agree. "I'm so in."

After explaining her plan, Dani gave Tucker one of the dart guns and grabbed onto his arm to phase him through the front door. She kept them invisible once inside, positioning themselves right next to the TV. They watched the couple cuddling on the couch for a few minutes, waiting for the right moment to strike. Finally, Danny looked over at Sam and pulled her in for a kiss.

 _POP!_

Before their lips could meet, two foam darts smacked into their cheeks. Sam shrieked in surprise, and Danny swore a Fenton's curse, jumping up out of instinct. Before they could figure out what hit them, Dani yanked Tucker out of the house within seconds, keeping them invisible until they were back in the car.

"Go, go, go!" Dani commanded while catching her breath.

Tucker started his car and booked it down the road, turning at the first available corner. Adrenaline kept his foot on the pedal. He didn't slow down until they were at least a good mile away from Fenton Works. By that time, they were both doubling over with laughter.

"Dude, did you see Sam's face? I haven't seen her that scared since we first started fighting ghosts!"

"Right? And I thought Danny was gonna break out a Fenton Bazooka!"

They continued to laugh without a care in the world, until Dani's phone rang. She pulled it out of her pocket and checked the caller ID.

"Damn, it's Danny! He wants to video chat. Play it cool," she said, waving her hand towards Tucker to stifle his giggles. She slid her finger across her screen and held the phone up to answer. "Hey cuz, what's up?"

Danny gave her the evil eye. "Where are you?"

"I'm hanging out with Tucker, remember?" She pointed her phone towards the driver's seat. "See?"

"Hey, dude!" Tucker waved at the camera, before watching the road again.

"Uh huh...and why are you guys out right now?"

Dani rolled her eyes. "Jeez, _mom_. We were just getting some food at the Nasty Burger." To make her point, she picked up her milkshake and took a sip. "Why?"

"So you wouldn't happen to know why _these_ -" Danny held up the two darts in his hand. "-just hit Sam and I in the face?"

"Nope."

"Nuh-uh." Tucker kept his eyes firmly on the road, trying to keep his voice level.

Danny sighed, then spoke away from his phone. "It wasn't them, Sam. I'm gonna search the house just in case. If this was Youngblood, I swear..." He shook his head then turned back. "Well, you guys have fun with your food. See ya later."

"Later!" Dani couldn't hang up fast enough. As soon as the call ended she burst into laughter, Tucker joining her. "Oh my god, he's a Fenton through and through!"

"No kidding! Ha, we got them good!" He held up a fist across the center console, which she bumped triumphantly.

The rest of the ride back to Tucker's was spent in good spirits. He cranked up the volume on his radio, and the two sang and danced along to "24K Magic." Dani even rolled her window back down to yell out, "24 karat magic in the aaaaaaaiiir!" She smirked when she heard dogs barking in response.

Magic indeed.

* * *

 _Merry Christmas and Happy Christmas Truce to playerpiano-la ! I'm your Secret Santa! Your request for "amethyst ocean or anything having to do with dani" was like a blank check to me, and boy, did I cash in. As a result, here's some fluffy platonic Tucker and Dani (with a dash of the lovebirds)! I hope you enjoy!_


End file.
